The invention relates to an object of high replacement value or a collector's item with an identification label.
High class basic commodities and works of art are often given identification labels which are unique and which make it possible to identify the object or determine the owner,
These identification labels often are sequences of digits or characters which are on or imprinted on labels or signs, The disadvantage with this is that the labels can either be removed easily or are so tightly connected to the object that the labeled object is no longer unblemished and its collector's value or value of use is diminished.
A labeling method is disclosed in FR 2 560 119 B1 (French patent specification) which utilizes a so-called stream-laserhead. The object to be labeled is carried via a conveyor belt in front of the stream-laser printhead. The laserhead is positioned and moved by a device which is controlled by a microprocessor in order to sequentially create a prescribed writing pattern. For example the position of a number of prescribed letters and digits are thereby defined by their coordinates. Three photoelements control the position of the object to be labeled on the conveyor belt. When the object has reached a certain position the stream-laser printhead activates and puts the labels onto the surface material dot by dot.
With this method labels are created which are clearly visible and therefore forgeable and which also impair the optical impression of the surface of the object.
A method to label plastic parts is disclosed in DE 34 11 797 A1 (German Offenlegungsschrift) with which visible labels (for example non-erasable key inscriptions) are written into a laser light absorbing plastic layer under a transparent layer by a laser beam.
A method to label laminated glass panes is disclosed in DE 31 47 385 C2 (German Patent) with which by using a laser beam a visible label is written into the intermediate layer of a laminated glass which has a different absorption coefficient for the laser radiation than the glass.
These two labeling methods can also only be used for certain objects and are only to a certain degree forgery-proof due to the visibility of the labels for all.
A method to identify objects which have been mislaid is disclosed in DE 37 23 856 A1 (German Offenlegungsschrift) which uses three different labels of which two labels are only perceptable in UV-light and the third is of the usual type.
This method does not seem to be very practical due to the large amount of labeling and identification work and the crucial three labels are no more forgery-proof than any other usual label.
In all cases the labels do not or only partly fulfill the function required of them.